Chapter 217: Chapter 217 - Tunnel
The car ran steady down the road, the engine low under them as Iyisha settled into the seat and rested her hand for a second before pulling it back.
A sharp sound came from the back.
"Damn—"
Lance leaned forward, eyes wide, his hand sliding along the door. "This is insane."
"I told you to ride with them," Marybeth said, her voice tight as she shifted beside Aljun.
Iyisha glanced back and saw Aljun sitting stiff, fingers tapping his thigh, his foot bouncing as his eyes moved from one window to another.
"Fuck off," he muttered.
She turned around smirking, they sounded like kids fighting in the playground.
Malcolm drove with one hand on the wheel, his other hand tapping the stick. Iyisha watched him a second too long, then looked away. It suited him.
"Shut up, both of you," Lance said from the back. "Let me enjoy this ride."
Iyisha shook her head and lifted her gun, checking the magazine by feel before sliding it back in and pulling the slide. The click settled her as the car began to slow.
The building came into view ahead, lights already on. Wire fences surrounded it as people turned toward them.
Then an alarm started, loud and sharp.
The car stopped but the engine stayed running as Malcolm stepped out first, the gun Arnulf gave him already in his hand, raising it and firing at once.
A guard dropped.
Iyisha pushed the door open and moved to the side of the car, pressing against it as she raised her gun and leaned out just enough to aim before firing. One figure near the fence jerked and fell as she shifted and fired again.
A truck slammed into the gate and forced it open, metal breaking as the entrance gave way, and gunfire erupted from both sides as smoke spread low across the ground and people rushed out from inside the compound.
Malcolm moved forward, firing as he advanced while bodies dropped in front of him.
Iyisha stayed by the car, picking targets through the movement and taking them down one by one.
They held their ground as the others pushed forward.
The TAL entered the compound as smoke spread across the ground and gunfire filled the air.
The members at the rear turned and fired, covering their flank as rounds hit the ground and metal around them. Iyisha looked toward the compound as the gate began to open.
"Come on!" she shouted, looking at the three crouched beside the car.
They broke from cover and ran back to the car, heads low as shots cracked around them and rounds hit the ground near their feet.
The others held the line behind them, firing toward the incoming guards to keep them off as they moved.
They reached the car and piled in fast, doors slamming one after another as Malcolm was already in the driver’s seat, engine running. The large gate ahead continued to rise, metal grinding upward as the opening widened, revealing the far end of the building where the ground sloped down.
"They’re right," Iyisha said, breathing hard as she looked ahead. "They made a road."
The path led straight down into the subway as vehicles lined up below, headlights already on, engines running, waiting.
They drove in as shots followed them inside, the sound carrying into the tunnel as the gate behind them dropped and sealed off the guards.
The slope pulled them down into the subway, lights fixed along the walls, bright and even, turning the tunnel into a clear road where cars lined up ahead. A man stepped into their path and flagged them down while others worked along the wall, hands fast as they set charges.
Malcolm slowed and stopped. The windows came down. Iyisha leaned slightly and saw the explosives being fixed into place.
"We need help with the charges," the man said. "Maricar’s down."
Malcolm looked at Iyisha.
She shook her head, heart pounding in her chest.
"Lance," Malcolm said.
"Yeah..."
"Drive."
"Wait—no," Iyisha said, grabbing his arm before he could step out. Her fingers tightened, holding him there as he turned slightly toward her. She opened her mouth, then stopped.
Her grip stayed.
"Be careful," she said, quieter now.
He didn’t move.
She swallowed and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. "We’ll wait for you outside."
Her hand stayed on him a second longer before it slipped away.
He nodded once and stepped out as Lance Briggs slid into the driver’s seat. Iyisha leaned toward the window and watched Malcolm move to the wall, taking a charge and working beside the others.
"He’ll be fine," Lance said as he pulled the car forward.
Iyisha nodded, still looking back as the distance opened between them, the sound of gunfire carrying through the tunnel.
They drove on in silence, the lights running along the walls as the tunnel stretched ahead. Iyisha sat forward, her hands tight on her knees, her eyes fixed ahead as her breathing stayed uneven.
The blast hit from behind.
The sound slammed through the tunnel as the car jolted forward, the impact throwing them against their seats as pressure pushed into their chests.
Lance hit the brakes.
Aljun lurched forward and struck the back of the seat with a grunt.
"What was that?"
"They blew it," Lance said, glancing at the mirror.
Iyisha turned halfway in her seat, staring into the dark stretch behind them as the sound kept echoing, metal and concrete shifting somewhere out of sight.
Her chest tightened.
Lance reached for her hand and held it. "He’s fine. He knows what he’s doing."
Marybeth touched her arm. "He’ll show up in a second. Mala hierba nunca muere." She glanced at her. "Bad weed never dies."
Iyisha let a small smile slip, but her grip stayed tight as the car moved again.
They pushed forward and broke out of the tunnel into open dark, the air still, the road clear, no undead in sight as if the area had been held. Cars rolled out one after another and stopped, doors opening as people stepped out and regrouped.
Arnulf stood ahead, already speaking to the others as he gave directions.
Iyisha stayed near the car with Marybeth and Lance, her eyes fixed on the tunnel entrance as the echoes of the blast lingered inside.
Aljun jogged toward them, breathing hard. "They said 3 more cars."
One came out.
Then another followed and stopped in front of them.
"Where’s the last car?" Iyisha asked as soon as someone stepped out.
The man looked back toward the tunnel. "We didn’t see any lights behind us."
Iyisha’s hand went to her mouth as she bit down, her eyes still locked on the dark opening.
Marybeth stepped in and pulled her into a hug, holding her as they waited.
